Chinmayanand Case: SC Orders Change of College for Law Student

The girl doesn’t want to continue her study in the college run by Chinmayanand’s ashram at Shahjahanpur.

The missing woman’s father had filed a complaint with police accusing BJP’s Chinmayanand of sexually harassing her.

(Photo: The Quint) 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 4 September ordered the transfer of the Shahjahanpur law student who levelled harassment allegations against former Union Minister and BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand, as well as her brother, to other law colleges affiliated to Bareilly University saying, “for us, their future is important”.

A bench of Justices R Banumathi and AS Bopanna was informed by the Uttar Pradesh government that in compliance with the apex court’s earlier order it had made all arrangements for the transfer of the woman and her brother to other colleges with hostel facilities.

The bench requested the Bar Council of India (BCI) to increase the number of seats for the colleges in which the woman and her brother will be shifted for their LLM and LLB courses respectively.

Additional Solicitor General Vikramjeet Banerjee, appearing for the UP government, submitted that if the court passed a direction then it would be easier for the two students to take admission as the process was already complete in most colleges.

The top court disposed of the suo motu petition, of which it had taken cognisance last week, and said that the woman and her parents are at liberty to go to their home in Shahjahanpur, accompanied by the Delhi Police.

The court said that if any further directions are required, including that of security, then the matter could be mentioned before the Allahabad High Court.

‘Girl Refuses to Study in College Run by Chinmayanand’

The court, which had earlier interacted in-chamber with the woman, had said that she told the judges that she doesn't want to continue her studies in the college run by Chinmayanand's ashram at Shahjahanpur.

The top court had on Monday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to set up an SIT, headed by an IG-rank officer, to investigate the charges levelled by the woman, as well as the two related FIRs. It also said that an Allahabad High Court bench will monitor the probe.

After interacting in-chamber with the woman and her parents, the court had issued a slew of directions, including asking the state to provide police protection to the family and explore the possibility of admitting the woman and her brother in another college at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.

The woman had gone missing after levelling allegations against Chinmayanand in a video and was later found in Rajasthan by UP police.

The apex court judges had said the woman raised certain grievances against the institution where she studied and her parents had some apprehensions about the safety of their children.

The court, however, had underscored that it was not expressing any opinion on the grievances and apprehensions raised by them.

The apex court had also requested the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court to constitute a special bench to monitor the investigation in the two cross FIRs filed in the case — one by the woman's father and another by the institution where she was studying.

On 30 August, it had said that the woman will be kept in the national capital under full security.

‘Left UP to Protect Myself’

When the woman was initially produced before the apex court judges, she reportedly told that that she did not wish to go back to her home state, Uttar Pradesh.

The top court judges had on Friday also interacted with the woman who had told them that she had left Uttar Pradesh with her three college mates in “order to protect herself”.

It had directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to depute a police team to safely bring her parents from Sahajahanpur to Delhi by Saturday "at the earliest".

The apex court had taken suo motu cognizance of the case after a group of lawyers had written a letter to the Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi urging him to take up the matter.

The Shahjahanpur police had on 27 August lodged an FIR against Chinmayanand after the student went missing following her allegation in a video clip that he had been harassing her. She also spoke about threats to her and her family's lives in the video clip.

Chinmayanand (72) runs an ashram in Shahjahanpur and five colleges in the town. He also runs ashrams in Haridwar and Rishikesh.

After the apex court order, it is expeced that the SIT will probe the college and the individuals named in the complaints to ascertain the truth.

(With inputs from PTI, IANS)